According to Kris Avakian , founder and president of the Montreal-based footwear brand, the company is expanding into bridal shoes and new accessory categories while also adding a licensing division.
For bridal, which first debuted earlier this year, Avakian called it a “natural extension” of the brand.
“We are always keeping in mind what we do best: feminine, sexy and comfortable shoes for women at a nice price point,” Avakian said. “From all the feedback we’ve received over the years about bridal, we really felt and saw that there was a real need for a little bit more of a commercial price point range that wasn’t in the luxury space.”
The executive noted that since the category launched this year, reaction to the collection has been “very good” at its first bridal retail partner, BHLDN, which is now known as Anthropologie Weddings. This season, the key design themes of the collection are mesh, pearls and lace. Avakian noted that the lace-accented styles have been the bridal collection’s “strongest” models.
“We’re looking to scale our business as we move along into next year,” Avakian added. “Our Middle Eastern customers are loving it, our U.S. customers are loving it. It’s really becoming a big part of the brand.”
Black Suede Studio has also recently revealed its new jewelry and belt categories. Avakian noted that these new items will be available in stores starting in November with key retailers in the U.S., Europe and the Middle East already showing interest in the range.
“Our accessories are an extension of who our girl is,” the founder said. “We want these pieces to be things that can be worn day to night with our main shoe line, so just playing with a lot of clean metals and adding in some minor embellishment details. Then we have a bit more intricate and embellished styles that go with our evening and bridal shoes.”
These launches come at the same time as Avakian’s expansion into licensing. The founder said that the new licensing and partnerships division is being operated under Black Suede Studio’s parent company called BSS Creative Groupe.
“I really don’t like getting comfortable, so one of my goals for 2024 is really to expand the business,” Avakian said. “And this new way of doing business is going to help with that.”
Its first licensing deal is with the bridal brand Anne Barge. The inaugural collection, which features around nine styles and 22 SKUs retailing between $350 and $450, will be unveiled for the first time during bridal market in October. “It’s going to be a mix of beautiful flats, some platforms with accents that use the brand’s signature patterns and embroideries that appear on their wedding dresses,” Avakian said.
Looking ahead, the founder told FN that he is focused on developing Black Suede Studio in Europe as well as signing on new licensing partners. He added that overall business is up 30 to 40 percent this year and is expecting a “larger jump” in sales once the licensing partnerships launch at retail.
“For Black Suede Studio, we started working with some key retailers in Europe as well as a few in Asia,” Avakian added. “And in terms of the licensing and partnerships, if everything goes the way it’s planned, we should have about six brands signed up to work with us. So, we’re very excited and optimistic looking ahead into next year.”
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